Carl Djerassi, who died recently aged 91, has been honoured globally for his work. In his remarkable career he also did pioneering work with antihistamines and topical corticosteroids for inflammation…
Observers may be quick to declare social trends “good” or “bad” for families, but such conclusions are rarely justified. What’s good for one family – or group of families – may be bad for another. And…
By 2100 there could be 11 billion people on Earth, but there’s no quick way to slow growth.
James Cridland/Flickr
The rise in population since 1900 has been so rapid that up to 14% of all humans that have ever lived are still alive today, according to recent research. Other research shows that slowing population growth…
Safeguards to protect women and children should not be eroded.
Image from shutterstock.com
For singles and couples who can’t naturally conceive and carry a baby to term, surrogacy is sometimes considered an option to have a child. Current laws across Australia permit “altruistic” surrogacy which…
Women are generally comfortable with post-sex contraceptives but anti-abortion campaigners aren’t.
WarmSleepy
More than 50 years after Australian women first had access to the oral contraceptive pill, research into new contraceptives has stalled and women are stuck with new versions of old products to manage their…
A vaginal ring could one day prevent pregnancy and STIs… but it’s still a long way off.
Flickr/dhammza
By 2020, 1.2 billion people or 16% of the world’s population will be entering their childbearing years, with 90% of these in the developing world. Along with education, the availability of effective contraception…
Why is philanthropist Melinda Gates dedicating the rest of her life to improving women’s access to contraception?
DFID UK Department for International Development
Melinda Gates’ vow to put the availability of contraception back on the global health agenda – even if it means going against the Pope – has provided a welcome voice for logic and compassion. Speaking…
As many as one in four girls in the Pacific aged between 15 and 19 years are already mothers.
Graham Crumb
World leaders, international donors, government officials from developing countries and civil society organisations gathered at the London Summit on Family Planning overnight to support the right of women…
Back, sperm, back: a human egg on the tip of a pin.
Flickr/wellcome images
Elephants in the room, part two For all our schemes and mantras about making our lives environmentally “sustainable”, humanity’s assault on the planet not only continues but expands. What are the deep…
Researchers say women may be able to prolong their fertility in future by having an ovarian tissue transplant.
bronx
In future, women could remain fertile for longer by undergoing an ovarian tissue transplant, according to paper published this week by American and Danish researchers. The Reproductive Biomedicine paper…
Our teeming attack on the natural world threatens to turn the wilderness into a fetish item.
AAP/The Wilderness Society
Elephants in the room, part one For all our schemes and mantras about making this or that part of our lives environmentally “sustainable”, humanity’s assault on the planet not only continues but expands…
Matthew Flinders Professor of Global Ecology and Models Theme Leader for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Flinders University